Project Empties #3

Thursday 31 March 2011

Hello, my name is Joy and I am a skin care and make-up junkie with no willpower.

This month I was quite proud of myself that I've not bought any new make-up, until I went a bit overboard and bought new skincare products. I really don't think that this project is teaching me anything, apart from the fact that I have absolutely no willpower! :( I think it's a little off putting when you only finish a few products each month, however I am going to persevere with this so that I can start using up the products that I have, but I think I really need to be stricter on myself.


Treacle Moon Coconut Shower Gel
Review: I love the smell of this! The smell doesn't linger on the skin, but it's a treat when you're in the shower :) I didn't try this in the bath, but I can imagine that it would give you a lovely bubble bath. It lathers up so nicely and doesn't leave your skin feeling tight. The bottle lasted me for absolutely ages!
Would I repurchase? Yes

L'Oreal Infallible Concealer (04 Golden Beige)
Review: This concealer was really good. I liked using it under my eyes and over any redness. I found that it didn't crease and gave a good amount of coverage. I also used it as an eyeshadow base, which it worked really well as. I like the slimline packaging, which makes it nice to put in your bag for on the go touch ups.
Would I repurchase? Yes

Benefit Dr. Feelgood
Review: I've had this for absolutely ages and still don't really know what it does... It says it's a refiner which can be worn alone or over your makeup. I was recently using it as a primer, before my foundation and found it gave my skin a nice, smooth and matte finish. It didn't help my make-up last any longer. I did sometimes notice that my pores looked a little smaller when I used this. It smells nice and I love the packaging. It's an expensive product at £21ish for 24g.
Would I repurchase? No


Finished Items: 3
Accumulative Finished Items from December 2010 to March 2011: 8

I also binned a few old and neglected mascaras and eyeliners that have been sat in my collection for ages. What have you finished up this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Picture Tuesday

Tuesday 29 March 2011


The Bigger, The Better

Sunday 27 March 2011

If I leave my hair to dry naturally, it tends to be wavy, a little frizzy and quite flat. I'm always on the hunt for bigger hair and I have found a few volumising products, which I use quite frequently. I don't always use them all everytime I wash my hair, but these are the products I go to when I want big hair.


Revlon Powerdry Glamour Hairdryer - £30.63 and ghd hair straightner - £99
I got my hairdryer for Christmas and it is great. It came with a number of attachments and other accessories and has 4 heat settings and 3 speed settings. I LOVE my ghds! I've had them for almost 4 years now and they're still going strong. Now I can't imagine using any other straightner - Once you go ghd, you never go back.

Kent Round Brush - £5.99
I've had this for ages and use it with my hair dryer. I mainly use it around my crown and then pull it through my hair to straighten it and to style my fringe. This just gives a nice lift at the roots, especially if you bring the brush up and out before bringing it through the length of your hair.

Tigi Small Talk - £13.25 (You can probably find it cheaper if you look around online)
Tigi says that this is a 'thickifier, energizer and stylizer'. I've had this for ages and have only recently discovered how good it is. It really thickens my hair and gives a really nice amount of volume and bounce. It has a fruity smell, which I really like but some would probably find it overpowering. The smell stays even when you hair is dry and styled. A tiny bit of this goes a long way, you literally need less than a pea size otherwise your hair may look greasy and feel weighed down. It can leave a slimy residue on your hand if you have too much or don't work it through the hair enough.

Schwarzkopf Got 2b 2 SEXY Collagen Lift Effect Hairspray - £3.99
The instructions on the can state to spray it in short bursts generously onto the hair. When I use it on dry hair, it gives a lovely amount of volume and hold, but it made the areas I sprayed it on a little crunchy/crispy. I wonder if it was because I hadn't used the spray in short enough bursts, since I'm not used to that. That said, it would be suitable if you used it on your underneath layers after backcombing for some extra hold or if you tip your hair upside down and spray it on the base of the hair. I generally tend to spray this onto my hair after it's been towel dried and before I blowdry it for some extra voluminous hold. I love the smell of this hairspray, it's kind of fruity and sweet. The smell doesn't linger on the hair.

Velcro Rollers - £0.99 for 6
I bought these from Bodycare and like to put them into the roots of my hair when my hair is nearly dry just to give it some extra lift. Because the rollers are velcro, they stay in place and you don't need to faff around with clips. They're really gentle and don't pull your hair out.

Other products I use in my hair are Schwarzkopf Guardian Angel (Heat protectant), Redken Smooth Down Heat Glide (Heat protectant and serum) and John Frieda 3 Day Straight (Review here).

What products do you use for volumised hair? I would love some recommendations!

I hope you enjoyed this post. Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

NOTD: Bright Red

Friday 25 March 2011

2 coats of Barry M Nail Paint in 'Bright Red'

I recently won this in Leah's giveaway recently and thought the colour would be perfect for spring. Thank you again, Leah! :D

The red is a lovely, classic, blue-toned red, which would flatter everyone. It reminds me of a post box! As with all the Barry M nail paints that I have, it was easy to apply and was pretty much opaque with one coat. I did two just to be on the safe side. I've had it on for a couple of days now and have not experienced any chipping.

Since the weather has been absolutely delightful recently, I was inspired to do a spring/summery design on my ring finger. I settled for a strawberry, because it tied in with the red polish and I remembered seeing a strawberry nail design on Tumblr, which I thought was super cute. I used W7 'Spearmint' for the leaves/stalk (Because I didn't have a green polish...), Natural Collection 'Nail Whitener' for the seeds and covered it in a clear topcoat.

xoxo, Joy

Recent Purchases

Wednesday 23 March 2011

Although I didn't get much of a response on here when I posted my last video, I decided to do another one because I enjoy doing them and quite like editing them. I was thinking of doing a 'What's in my bag' video, so if anyone wants to see that, let me know :)



Thank you for reading/watching. xoxo, Joy

Wardrobe Envy: Emma Roberts

Thursday 17 March 2011


All images are from tfs

I remember googling Emma Roberts after I saw a picture of her in a gorgeous dress at the 'Valentine's Day' premiere and I've kept an eye on her style since then. I really love Emma's day to day outfits. They look casual and comfortable without being boring and unflattering. It looks like Emma generally sticks to the 'safe' options for appearances and awards, but manages to glam them up with gorgeous shoes, accessories and bags.

Who are your style crushes? Keep an eye out for more of mine! You can see more of my style crushes here.

xoxo, Joy

Picture Tuesday

Tuesday 15 March 2011

Photo: Susannae (Here)

How To Prevent Mascara From Smudging

Sunday 13 March 2011

Photo: Tfs

After writing my review of L'Oreal Voluminous, I decided to research what I could do to prevent it from smudging. I probably should have done it sooner, but it's always been one of those things that I'd tell myself to do, but never actually get round to it... (Does anyone else do that?)

Just by typing in "How to prevent mascara from smudging?" into Google came up with approximately 65,500 results! I just took a look at the first few links and came across a good list of tips and tricks. You may or may not already know them, but I thought I'd share the list here anyway:
  • Give yourself credit: When applying mascara, use a credit card or business card to act as a shield between your lashes and your lids. Any slip-ups will go on the card instead of you.
  • Soak it in: After applying eye cream or foundation around the eye area, give the product a chance to soak into the skin before applying your mascara. Skin that's too hydrated can attract smudges.
  • Powder room: Apply a light dusting of powder around your eyes to help suppress oil.
  • Towel it off: Thin, even coats of mascara are one of the simplest ways to prevent mascara from making a downward slide. To avoid clumpy, clustered lashes, just run the wand over a tissue to create a light-on-the-product coating. Let each layer dry completely before applying the next.
  • Get back to your roots: Sweep on mascara from root to tip, tapering off at the ends. Less product on the tips can help prevent inadvertent slips onto the skin.
  • You're in the clear: Use a clear coat of mascara once your mascara has fully dried for the finishing touch. This extra step acts similarly to a hair gloss, locking in color and protecting your lashes.

I decided to give the tips above a go and I have to say, I really wish I'd researched this sooner! Now that I know some tricks to keep my mascara from smudging, I've changed my mind about L'Oreal Voluminous - I'm definitely going to be repurchasing it! :D

Do any of you find that your mascara smudges throughout the day? What do you do to counteract that?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

First FOTD, plus a few other things

Friday 11 March 2011

This is my first FOTD post (Actually it's yesterday's FOTD...), eeek. I was quite hesitant about posting this, because I was feeling self conscious about the picture as my skin hasn't been that great lately and I filled in my eyebrows unevenly! But in the end, I just decided 'What the heck, I'm just going to post it'. This is just a simple, neutral day look which I wore to my lectures yesterday.

Please excuse my washing in the background!

Face
Benefit Dr. Feelgood (As a primer)
Revlon Photoready in Shell
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC15
Collection 2000 Sheer Loose Powder
MAC Virgin Isle CCB
Bourjois Rose de Jaspe

Eyes (I forgot to take close up pictures of my eye, sorry!)
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MUA eyeshadow in Shade 11 all over the lid
MAC Brun eyeshadow in the outer third, crease and eyebrows
No7 Gel Eyeliner
No7 Exceptional Definition Mascara

Lips
Body Shop Sheer Lip Shine in Sheer Pink

Last week, I was lucky enough to win another giveaway. I was so chuffed when I saw an email from the lovely Leah telling me that I'd won. The parcel with the prizes arrived at the weekend, so that was a really nice way to start off a lovely weekend :) Thank you so much, Leah!!! Go take a look at Leah's blog (Look! Flying Monkeys!), it's full of a mix of beauty, fashion, food and all things lovely. :)


I just wanted to share a quick Boots purchase with you all. It never would have occurred to me that you could buy jewellery in Boots, but I was waiting for my friend while she was buying some stuff and was surprised to see a jewellery stand. Not only a jewellery stand, but one with lots of pieces that had 1/2 price stickers on them, score! There were some other pretty pieces, but this ring really caught me eye. It reminds me of a wing ring that I'd seen on ASOS a while back, but smaller and cheaper at only £2! I really like how it has the diameter of the ring on the label, rather than S, M or L. Although when I first tried the ring on, I almost had a panic attack when I thought it was stuck, lol! From now on, everytime I pop into Boots, I'm going to keep an eye out for their jewellery section! :)


Have any of you bought any jewellery in unexpected places before?

Thank you for reading. I hope my FOTD didn't scare you off, lol! xoxo, Joy

50+ FOLLOWER GIVEAWAY! (ENDED!)

Wednesday 9 March 2011

I noticed about a week or so ago that I've reached 50+ followers on my blog. YAY!! I am ever so excited about this! :D Thank you all so much for following my little old blog, it really means a great deal to me. It warms my heart that people enjoy my posts and take the time to read them and leave lovely comments.

To celebrate my 50+ followers and to thank you all, I am having a little giveaway! I had an exam and some work due in last week, so I wasn't able to buy the prizes until the weekend. But I really hope you like them! All the items are things that I love :D


Prizes: Clockwise from left
  • MUA lipstick in Shade 7 (Swatch here)
  • Cream chiffon flower earrings
  • NYC nail polish in Skin Tight Denim
  • Leopard and rose print oil cloth makeup bag
  • No7 blend and contour brush
  • H&M hairslides
  • Beauty Formulas radiate and glow brightening facial mask
Rules: Please read before entering.

1. You must follow my blog through Google Friend Connect. I will check!

2. Leave a comment saying "Enter me, please" and where you're from, e.g. England, America, Canada etc. I'm just interested in where my followers are from :)

3. For extra entries:
  • Follow me on Twitter and tweet about the giveaway. Leave your twitter username in your comment and remember to @dearjoy the tweet (+1)
  • Post a link back to the giveaway somewhere on your blog. Leave me a link to where you've posted about it in your comment (+1)
  • Tell me something you'd like to see more or less of on my blog (+1)
  • So you could have upto 4 entries into the giveaway.
4. Remember to leave your email address or twitter name so that I can contact you if you win.

5. This contest is international, so everyone is more than welcome to enter. If you are under 16, please make sure to get guardian consent, because I will need your address if you win.

6. It will run for just over 3 weeks, until midnight (GMT) on March 31. Winners will be chosen at random and will be contacted within 48hours of the contest closing.

Thank you all so much again and good luck everyone!!

xoxo, Joy

Review: John Frieda 3 Day Straight

Sunday 6 March 2011

I bought this product in the middle of February and wanted to write a review about this straight away, but I waited a few weeks because I wanted to really make sure I knew how I felt about the product and write an in depth review about it. I warn you now, this is going to be long!


What they say: (From JohnFrieda.co.uk) Transform curly, frizzy hair into a straight, smooth style that lasts up to 3 days.* Designed to work with your hair straighteners, this weightless spray with heat protection blocks out frizz as you straighten. A revolutionary blend of polymers with keratin protein wraps each strand, sealing in straight style for up to 3 days.* Keeps hair glossy, smooth and swinging with body. Safe for colour-treated and chemically-treated hair. *Or until your next shampoo if less than 3 days.

Price:
£6.99

What I think: Firstly I want to tell you two things: 1) If I let my hair dry naturally, my hair is wavy and slightly frizzy with a little volume and 2) I'm a straightening addict. I've tried a few times to go on a 'hair diet' and go straightner free, but that normally lasts about 3 days (if that). I've also had my hair chemically straightened twice in the past. You're probably thinking that I've just given you two pieces of useless information and you could have saved that minute reading the previous sentences on something more worthwhile, but it does tie into the review... Somewhere.

The photos were taken in the days after I used 3 day straight for the first time, since I thought it would be a good representation of how the product works, even on the first time it's used. (Click to make the images bigger)

Taken just after I had finished straightened my hair with 3 day straight.
Please excuse the lack of makeup and my pyjamas!

I had spritzed about 7 sprays throughout my hair, run my fingers through my hair to distribute the product, sprayed some heat protectant, blow dried my hair to a straight-ish finish (I officially suck a blow drying) and then straightened it with my ghds. The spray smelt nice and was a nice fine mist. The process was really easy and left my hair feeling so soft and sleek. I couldn't stop touching it! I normally wash my hair in the evening and put my hair in a ponytail when I sleep. I woke up the next morning, took my hair out of the ponytail and gave my hair a quick brush - My hair was exactly as it was the night before. Perfect!

At the end of day 1.

I had had my hair in a ponytail for most of the afternoon and I had been to the gym. I took my hair out of the ponytail, gave it a brush and ta-da! My hair still felt super soft and sleek and I impressed with how straight it still was, despite having it up for most of the day.

At the end of day 2.

As you can see, my hair is generally pretty much straight, except there are is a slight wave and a few flicks to the hair at the front. By the end of day 2, my hair did still feel soft, but it was looking a little lacklustre. I very much doubt that that was due to the product, just my hair needing a wash. I was going to hold out until day 3 before washing my hair, but my hair was looking so blah by the end of day 2 that I had to wash it.

A few things I've noted is that:
  • If you want super straight hair for all 3 days, you need to make sure you straighten it so that it's poker straight on the first time you do it.
  • You can leave your hair to dry naturally and then straighten it, if you would rather save on heat damage. However, I have noticed that the effect of the 3 day straight works better when you blow dry AND straighten your hair, rather than just straightening it.
  • There have been a few times where I have noticed my hair looking a little bit fluffy around the crown of my head (like a wispy halo, lol) after straightening it. I don't know if that is due to the 3 day straight making the rest of it so smooth that that top part looks a bit fluffy or something else.
  • If you spray the 3 day straight onto your hair and don't straighten it, it still makes your hair feel so soft.
Basically, I LOVE THIS PRODUCT. My hair is definitely thanking me for using my straightners on it less. I was getting compliments about how sleek my hair looked, even on day 2 when I thought it was beginning to turn a bit greasy. This product makes my hair feel like it did when I had it chemically straightened - I could wear it in a ponytail or in a tight bun (when I had ballet), brush it and then it would be perfectly straight again - but for a fraction of the price. I would highly recommend it to you all if you are a straightner addict like me. Since it holds straightness in the hair, I wonder if it would hold curl... I don't tend to curl my hair very often, but I might do an experiment with this. Let me know if you would like to see a post about it.

I'm really sorry for how long this review turned out to be! I could probably ramble on for England, but I really hope it was useful.

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

ETA: After reading the comment from Rainy Days and Lattes, I decided to add in a picture of my hair if I let it air dry into the post for reference.

After washing and left to air dry

Check out hair extensions and haircare at BuyHair.co.uk or clip in hair extensions at HairExtensions.co.uk.

Project Empties #2

Thursday 3 March 2011

Unfortunately, I didn't finish many products in February. I managed to use up all of my December/January allowance and I had to restock up on essentials that I'd finished, such as cleanser, which ultimately didn't really stop me from spending money on make-up and skincare... Hmm.



No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser
Review: This cleanser is really rich and feels luxurious. It is really moisturising and doesn't leave a greasy residue on the skin. It didn't remove all my eye makeup and sometimes I felt like it hadn't removed all my makeup. It is supposed to be radiance boosting, I personally don't think I saw any difference. You get a 200ml tube, which I used every day and it lasted me approximately 5 months which I thought was brilliant. While I did like this cleanser, I feel that there are other cheaper cleansers that are just as good.
Would I repurchase? Only with the £5 off voucher



Oxy On The Spot
Review: I like to put this over any breakouts I get. It's not a quick fix for spots, but it does help to reduce the size and eventually get rid of the spot. I only use it when I can feel a spot coming or on any existing spots, I don't use it everyday. It says to apply it once a day, except when I used it, I apply it twice a day. The problem with doing that is that the skin gets used to the product and over time, it becomes less effective, so just be aware of that. Also be careful that it doesn't bleach anything!
Would I repurchase? Yes


Finished items: 2
Accumulative Finished Items from December 2010 to February 2011: 5
Allowance for March 2011: 2

What products have you used up recently?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Picture Tuesday

Tuesday 1 March 2011

Photo: Agnes Thor (Here)